Typically a wig is made by attaching hairs to a “base” or “net”, a fabric of some type usually designed to be light and breathable for the wearer's comfort, since it sits directly on the head. Hairs are often attached mechanically by looping the hair around one or more base fibers. FIG. 1 illustrates a method by which a hair 110, human or synthetic, is threaded around the base 100 to form a loop and through the loop to emerge at 120. This method, called a “full tie,” relies on mechanical friction created by the loop to secure the hair to the wig base.
There are certain shortcomings of the conventional methods described herein. The “loop” can loosen with time, and if pulled too tightly in order to prevent loosening, the base can be deformed. The use of adhesives is difficult, since the adhesive is difficult to place accurately given the small size of a human hair, and if too much adhesive is used it tends to be visible to the human observer. The direction of the hair also cannot be controlled reliabily, and this is important since hair fashions often require hairs on different parts of the head to lie in different directions, as natural hair does. This hair direction, even if set by various styling methods after attachment, may be changed if the hair is disturbed, by wind or a hat for example. If an adhesive of any sort is used to secure the base to the wearer's head, that adhesive may over time pull the hair away from the base.
There are other shortcomings of conventional methods as well: the loop, being larger than the diameter of a single hair 110, can be visible, particularly at the hair line, thus making it obvious that a wig is being worn. In certain conventional manufacturing methods, the base 100 is bleached or colored to match the base, to make it less visible. However, bleaching tends to weaken the hair, and is generally not feasible with most synthetic hairs.
Finally, conventional manufacturing methods are not well adapted to automated manufacturing, and thus often they are performed by human labor. It is desirable to use synthetic hair in an automated manufacturing method since it can be obtained in uniform lengths, unlike human hair which is more variable in length.
In light of the foregoing, there exists a need in the art for improved wigs and methods of manufacturing them. Important needs include setting the direction of the hair to simulate the natural look of human hair, forming a secure and durable yet unobtrusive and natural-looking attachment of hair to base, particularly at the hair line, and allowing for automated manufacturing using natural or synthetic hair without bleaching at the roots.